


After Augustgrad

by DJSparkles



Category: StarCraft
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adult Language, F/M, Romance, Sexual Content, Vampires, War violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-27
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-07-27 01:02:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 21,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7597237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DJSparkles/pseuds/DJSparkles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU.  Set after HOTS and runs through LOTV.  Mengsk is dead and most of the population wants Valerian's head on a plate for his father's misdeeds.  His current whereabouts are unknown.  Raynor's Raiders are still fighting the good fight, trying to topple the current despot who seized power immediately after Mengsk's assassination.  Old friends and new will make appearances.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My two favorite letters are AU, folks. Alternate universe. 
> 
> Dedicated to my hive sisters, who gave me the courage to post this. It's all mine, warts and all, and completely unbeta'd. All mistakes are hereby claimed by me and will be fixed if discovered.

Jim Raynor was troubled.

 

“Raynor's Raiders” as they were called were outlaws, according to the Dominion government. Problem with that was, the government equaled one Arcturus Mengsk, and Jim had no problem with being a thorn in HIS side. The man had lied, schemed, and worst of all, sacrificed the woman Jim had fallen in love with to the Zerg. Mengsk was directly responsible for Sarah Kerrigan becoming the Zerg's Queen of Blades.

 

And with Mengsk dead and his son Valerian in hiding, they were stuck with Harrison Golan. The man had seized power while he could and taken control quickly in the aftermath of Mengsk's assassination. And HE had decided that the Dominion would be hunting down said Queen of Blades. It didn't matter that she had kept her Zerg away once she had taken back her hybrid form and Mengsk was dead. He wanted her head on a platter.

 

Thoughts of her hurt Raynor badly. That she seemingly lost her humanity ate at him constantly and he conceived plan after plan to help her or stop her, one or the other, only to have them crash down around him.

 

_Jim. Jim Raynor. Hear me, Jimmy, please._

 

He sat bolt upright in his chair, drink forgotten, as the thoughts intruded into his head. At first he was convinced it was Sara, but then reason reasserted itself and he took a deep breath. There was only one other person it could be. But why would she be talking to him after a very long silence? He concentrated. He wasn't telepathic by any means but since she'd opened the “channel,” she would hear him. _Ellie? What is it?_ Her “voice” was faint, as though she were very far away or very weak or both.

 

_You have to help us. You're about to get a distress call from the research colony on Dynar Four. They are holding me and some of my people and the Zerg are coming. Please, you have to help. We don't want to die. We might be mainstream these days but the scientists still treat us as experimental animals._

 

_Hang on, Ellie. I'll get Matt to head that way. Distress call will help convince him._ He didn't want to end the contact, truth to tell. What he'd heard so far was cause for alarm on several levels. Dynar Four was one of the best Zerg research stations. It stood to reason it would be attacked by them sooner or later, but this was... unexpected. However, if they got there first, they stood to profit from it and that meant more weapons and wages for his people. He stood just as Matt Horner entered the Cantina.

 

“Jim, we've got a problem. Dynar Four just sent out a distress call, they're expecting a Zerg invasion pretty quick.” Horner's words were tinged with concern and he was watching Raynor closely. “And you're not surprised.”

 

“Lieutenant Malova just contacted me,” Jim replied as they moved toward the door. “I know you're not fond of her people but they need our help.” Not fond of, was an understatement. Matt Horner hated vampires with a passion.

 

“What is she doing at a Zerg research station?” Horner asked as they headed for the bridge. “She's not a scientist, she's a soldier.” And she was a Dominion soldier, at that. “And I hadn't heard of any vampire troops being assigned anywhere but heavy duty fighting zones. They're harder to kill.”

 

“Apparently she and a few of her people were taken there as research animals,” Raynor replied tersely. “She's scared. She thinks they're going to die and before the Zerg even reach the station. I think the scientists are looking at cutting their losses and getting out.”

 

“I've already started us that way. We should be there within a few hours. Can she hold them off that long?” Horner had a grudging respect for the woman. She wasn't like the others of her kind he'd met; she actually saw humans as fellow beings instead of just food. “How soon are the Zerg expected? The station didn't say, just that an attack was 'imminent.'”

 

Raynor concentrated, trying to reach her. If she had cut the contact – but no, there was something. _Ellie, how soon are the Zerg going to be there? Do you know? And can y'all hold them off long enough for us to reach you?_ It was going to be dicey.

 

_I don't know. And I don't know if we can hold them off, either. My people are locked down in one of the research buildings. All I know is that these scientists are all but shitting themselves. They're scared out of their minds._ Her “voice” was getting weaker. _They were experimenting on us. Some of the things they did – buy me a drink when we're loose and I'll talk about it. Not before then._

 

He had to concentrate to bring his attention back to Matt. He'd never been good at the whole “mindspeak” thing and it was almost impossible for him to talk both ways at once. “She doesn't know how long. She says the scientists are scared and she won't tell me anything else. Except that she and her crew are locked up.”

 

_Of course I'll buy you a drink, darlin, I'll buy you a whole keg if you want it._ She was his friend. And she was scared. That didn't sit well with him. What was going on out there?

 

_Once you're here, I can show you where they're keeping us. If the Zerg don't get here first. Or the Dominion. Or the Protoss. They'll just wipe the planet. Not sure if that wouldn't be the better way to go._ Her “voice” was dry. _How long?_

 

_Matt says a few hours. That could mean two or twenty. I'll try to get a better estimate._ “She's scared, Matt,” he repeated. “And you know Ellie. She doesn't scare easily.” He had to help her. They'd been friends for a long time and he owed her his life more than once. And she'd had the perfect opportunity at one point to turn him and hadn't done it. “I'll condemn no one to this,” she'd spat when she realized what she was doing. “I promised myself that a long time ago and I almost broke that vow. I'm sorry, Jim.”

 

Being lost in memory lane wasn't helping the situation and he hauled his attention back. “How long?”

 

“Two jumps, say three hours. Can they hold out that long?” They got to the Bridge and Matt was already running the calculations. “Two hours, forty-seven minutes.”

 

_Did you get that, darlin? Almost three hours._

 

_Yes. And believe me, anything that tries to come in here before then is going to get hurt. We're not helpless, even if the researchers tried to make us that way. They weren't just studying the Zerg, Jimmy. They were working on US, too._ She gave him just a glimpse of what had been done to them and he saw red.

 

_If there's a way to get there faster, we'll find it. Just hold on._ He growled and Matt raised an eyebrow.

 

“Something you want to tell me?” he asked quietly. He knew Raynor had a history with this vampire, but he didn't know the specifics. Just that they were the kind of friends that ALWAYS had each other's backs. It didn't matter how long it went between contacts. If one was in need, the other was there. Without fail.

 

“Yeah.” He wanted a drink, needed one after that image. “They're trying to use the vamps against the Zerg, all right. They're trying to create a new food source for the vamps from Zerg blood. And instead of working, it's killing them. Burns em up from the inside. But they keep trying.” He shook his head. “We're supposed to be the good guys.”

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My favorite letters are AU.
> 
> I'm not ashamed to say I'm a feedback junkie. If you're reading, leave me a comment? I'd like to know if it's worth continuing...

The scientists, specifically one Aaron Houser, were more than ready to run. Raynor regarded the man steadily through the faceplate of his battlesuit. “And what about your experiments, Doc?” he demanded. He wasn't leaving anyone behind.

 

“They've been packaged for shipment. There's nothing left but us and a few boxes.” But his eyes cut to the side and Raynor glanced that way.

 

_Ellie? Darlin, show me where you are. We'll get you out._ He carefully blanked his mind. It was far easier for him to “see” what she wanted to show him if he was clear headed. Too bad alcohol interfered with that a lot.

 

_I don't have much strength left,_ came the soft reply. _We're over here. Go to your left three buildings, then back one. And you'd better be in armor because some of us are starving. I don't want anyone hurt except those bastards who did this to us._

 

_Gotcha._ He moved where she directed and Houser came unglued. “There's nothing over there,” he grumbled. “We've got everything ready. Let's just go before those things get here, okay?”

 

Raynor checked the lock on the door. Standard bio lock, probably keyed to just one or two of the docs. “Open it,” he demanded. He could “feel” her on the other side of the door and for a moment, he was scared. He hadn't felt this level of hunger from her since – he didn't want to think about it. He was glad he was in armor.

 

“Why? There's nothing in there.” But Houser couldn't refuse when Raynor brought out his weapon. “Okay, okay. There.” He placed his palm on the lockplate and it glowed green.

 

_Ellie? Ellie, you've got to calm down, darlin. You're safe._ He could feel her hunger, feel her fear. That wasn't something he wanted to know about right now. He had to get her calmed down or someone would get hurt, battlesuit or not. _Ellie, listen. I'll feed you but not here. We have to get moving before the Zerg get here. Remember them?_ But he had little hope of her responding. She was too far gone in the Hunger.

 

She was also the only survivor in the little prison. The others were gone, burned to ash or simply dropped where they had stood. And from the look on her face, which was all vamped out, fangs dropped, and pretty damn scary as well as beautiful in a terrifying sort of way, she was going the same way.

 

Pain slammed into him and he doubled over for a minute. She was broadcasting on a pretty broad spectrum and he hoped Houser was feeling it too. Then he stood up and keyed his mic. “Matt, we've got a survivor. And when we get there, I want the docs locked up. They were going to leave her behind.”

 

“You got it.”

 

Raynor let the others march the docs into the transport while he picked up his friend. She was pretty far gone and suddenly he wasn't sure a simple feeding was going to help her. He'd find out once they got to the _Hyperion._

 

*

 

He managed to get her aboard but he almost had a fight on his hands when she smelled Matt. All she could think about was how hungry she was, and he could feel it. That meant she was really lost and he had to do something quick or bodies would start piling up.

 

He managed to get her into his cabin and locked the door. It wouldn't keep her in if she really wanted out, but it would keep normal humans out and that was as important as keeping her contained.

 

He got out of the battlesuit as fast as the servos could work. She needed food. Unfortunately, that was him.

 

“Easy, darlin,” he said softly as he got close. There was a moment of complete primitive terror he would never admit to and then she was on him. He managed to set her back, but not after she'd nibbled a little. She hadn't bitten him, not yet.

 

He felt her need, and it left him aching with his own. He hadn't realized she was so far gone as to try to thrall him; she hadn't done it since the first time they were together. No, he thought quickly, she wasn't trying to roll him. She was just so hungry that she had lost all control. He put out a hand to her, trying to reach her. In her current state, she'd savage him.

 

He needn't have worried. She came at him, all right, but instead of letting her fangs drop and biting down, she kissed him. She kissed him, hard, wild, and definitely hungry for more than just blood. That was something he hadn't expected. Then he was kissing her back, his hands moving over her, getting her out of her clothes, getting himself out of his. Getting his hands on her, lightly skating across her skin.

 

They ended up on the floor. She moaned, a needy sound, and he took it as encouragement as he slowly kissed his way down her body to her breasts, one hand kneading a nipple gently while his mouth worked on the other. Her hands threaded into his hair, holding him close and yet gently. “Jimmy,” she murmured.

 

Slowly, tantalizingly, he kissed his way further down, his tongue dipping into her navel before moving even lower. She tasted as good as he remembered and he let his tongue dance over her, bringing soft cries from her as his hands held her still. Then he moved his hands down, one dancing over her skin, the other touching her THERE and she gave a tiny scream as he slowly worked a finger into her, moaning a little himself as he felt how hot she was, how tight and wet and he was responding to it, needing more from her as she begged for the same from him.

 

He couldn't wait. He moved back up along her body, nipping lightly, until he was positioned just right and placed his hands on either side of her to hold himself up. He kissed her deeply as he thrust into her, taking her cry into his mouth and smothering it with his own. Slowly he began to move, increasing the pace when she responded, arching up to meet him with every thrust, soft sighs coming from her as her hands went to his back, the nails scrabbling and scratching over his skin. She paused only a moment when she encountered a new scar, then everything was back to that insane, desperate rhythm that held them together.

 

She screamed his name as it crashed over her, all clenched muscles and mind-numbing pleasure, her hands pulling him even closer if that was possible. Her fangs dropped but she didn't use them, instead holding her head back and away, wanting him to find release before she fed. She always waited, wanting him to have true pleasure instead of what her nature could give him.

 

He roared as he found his own release, spilling deep into her and not pulling back, merely moving to frame her face with his big hands and then noticing her fangs. With a sigh, he turned his head, leaving her a clear shot at his neck. Why the hell couldn't this just be sex, why did it have to be so damn complicated?

 

She took the invitation and bit down gently to keep from hurting him more than she must. And she fed deeply, though not enough to cause him distress. When she was done, she flicked her tongue over the mark to close it and looked up at him, her dark eyes hooded, unreadable. “I'm sorry,” she said softly.

 

He rolled them over so they were lying side by side and levered himself up on one arm to watch her. “No need t'be,” he replied evenly. “Except for you biting me, it was pretty fun.” He gave her a leer.

 

She hit him in the shoulder with a small smile. “It always is, with you.” She sighed and rolled onto her back. “Jimmy...”

 

The commlink bleeped. She bit down on her words as he dropped his head back with a curse. Matt's timing sucked ass. “Sorry to interrupt, sir, but you need to go to the lab. Stetmann's got something from the station you need to see.”

 

Raynor cursed again and sat up, reaching for his pants. “Looks like it's time to work, darlin.” He got dressed quickly and watched her as she did as well. “You still look good.”

 

She chuckled and fell in step with him once in the corridor. This was like old times and she relished it. Unfortunately, though, she knew he was now taken; she wouldn't have a chance of holding him if she wanted to. Sarah Kerrigan held his heart and always would, and she was really okay with that. Really.

 

The lab intimidated her for a moment until she remembered he was with her. She couldn't forget what had been done to her, to her crew. She started to shake a little and crept just a tiny bit closer to him. She was stronger, more agile, and damned hard to kill... but he might need protection. Yeah. And pigs flew, she just wanted him close if something went wrong. He made her feel safe.

 

“Sir? Oh, good. You need to see this.” Egon Stetmann indicated the nearest tank and Ellie growled low in her throat. It was one of her crew, or rather, what was left of him. “Whatever he ate or was fed was corrosive. You can see where the damage started, here in the digestive tract. Which, of course, being a vampire's instead of a human's is very specialized. They can eat real food, yeah, but blood is much easier for them to digest. I would guess that he was fed some form of tainted blood. But that's not what I wanted you to see.”

 

Jim took hold of Ellie's arm. “Easy, darlin,” he said softly. “He's not hurting any more. And maybe this way he can help us.” He had to head off what was about to be a dangerous burst of temper from his friend. “Let the doc talk.”

 

She subsided quickly but Raynor could feel the tension in her slight body. She was raging under the surface.

 

Stetmann was oblivious to her distress. “Here, here, and here. I've found Zerg DNA in these three places, and from the look of it, it was spreading when he died.” He turned then and saw Ellie's face and paled. He was afraid of her, but he'd finish his report. “He was infested. Whether it was from drinking the tainted blood or a direct infestation I can't be sure. I'd need a living subject for that, and not only will we never find one, I wouldn't want to. I wouldn't want to subject anyone to that kind of horror.”

 

Ellie lowered her head for a moment and all the fight went out of her in a rush. Raynor turned completely to face her, concern and dismay warring for supremacy within him. But her words chilled him to the bone.

 

“You don't need to find one,” she said softly. “You've got a subject right here. I knew when they fed that stuff to us there was something wrong. It killed them. It killed them, and not me. Why not me?” She looked up then, her expression absolutely wretched. “And he's not a subject. His name was John.”

 

 


	3. Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My favorite letters are AU.
> 
> Thank you to my hive sisters who keep giving me courage to post stuff....
> 
> More intrigue, a little backstory, and some surprises.

“They infested Ellie's crew!”

 

Horner was trying to calm Raynor down, but his words weren't having much effect. Still, he kept trying. “Then we let Stetmann fix her. He says he's got some ideas how to reverse the infection.”

 

“So what, we do to her exactly what they did? Turn her into some kind of lab rat? We're supposed to be the good guys here, Matt!” In a show of temper, his hand went to his lead-slinger, and the rest of the patrons in the Cantina scattered. Raynor had been known to shoot inanimate objects when pissed. Never any of them, but they didn't want to be in the line of fire.

 

“Seems to me she volunteered,” Horner returned, unperturbed by the appearance of the weapon. “That's a big difference, sir.”

 

Raynor holstered the gun and sat back down, his head in his hands. “I lost Sarah to the Zerg. I'm not losing Ellie too.” The irony of his words struck him and his lips quirked in a bitter smile. “What kind of stuff we got lined up? Running a revolution is expensive work. We need more funds.”

 

Horner went on to detail some of the possible strikes they could make, but Raynor really wasn't paying attention. His mind was on Sarah... and Ellie. How could he help either of them? He couldn't, not really. Sarah had made her choice when she had allowed herself to once more lose her humanity and become the Queen of Blades for the second time. The Xel'naga Artifact might be able to cure her again; but it was out of their reach. And somewhere across the galaxy, she had her Swarm waging a war against some enemy or other. She had given him up to do so.

 

So why couldn't he let her go? She had left him to do what she thought was right, even though it meant more innocents would die at her hands. How could he still care for her after that? How could he have helped her to destroy Mengsk? Well, that was explainable, though. He'd wanted his own revenge on the tyrant and she'd been means to an end to gain it. So he'd used her as much as she had him. But still... he still loved her. He still wanted to find her and find a way back for her. And she no longer WANTED to come back.

 

And Ellie? She was terrified of what might be happening to her. She didn't WANT to be a Zerg hybrid like Sarah had become.

 

He knew his mind was wandering but he let it run, barely listening to Horner's list of options. Finally he realized his friend and ship's captain was waiting on his decision and he'd not really heard a word of what had been said. “Pick one,” he said finally. “Let's get something started. Just because Mengsk is dead, doesn't dissolve the Dominion. Valerian hasn't taken over. He's in hiding somewhere, because everyone wants him to pay for his father's mistakes. The guy they've got now, Golan? He's worse than Mengsk ever thought about being. Rules with an iron fist and is quick to execute anyone who disagrees with him.” He reached for his glass to refill it, reconsidered, and just tipped the bottle to his lips. “So let's kick this up a notch. Find something dangerous. I know where to get some reinforcements.”

 

“You want to use vampire troops.” It wasn't a stretch to believe it. Raynor had been friendly with the things for a long time. Horner was still wary of them. They had taken so much from him, he couldn't trust them. “Sir, you can't possibly be serious. How would you control them?”

 

“I can't. But Ellie can.” He was already considering how to ask for her help. It was one thing for them to sleep together, and quite another for her to help him by putting her head on the chopping block right along with his. And anyone she recruited to help them would face the same fate. Named outlaw, terrorist, dissident, traitor – the list went on. No, he couldn't force that on anyone. His “army” was made up of volunteers; and he'd keep it that way. The problem was, she was already helping, at least a little. Subversives were useful allies. And maybe Rory Swann would have more tech they could soup up to give them an advantage. The guy had a knack for hauling their asses out of the fire with something new on a regular basis.

 

One of these times, Raynor's luck was going to run out, and he knew it. However, it hadn't yet, and he'd hold onto the hope that it wouldn't any time soon.

 

“No. No, I'm drawing a line, sir.” Horner was determined. “I don't care how much control she has over them. I won't be a party to turning them loose. They're almost as bad as the Zerg for causing whole scale carnage.” He was angry, nearly spitting fury. “Don't ask that of me. Not after what they did. I won't work with them, and I'll leave you in the dust if you bring them aboard. I tolerate your Ellie because she's been your friend for a long time and because she's a good soldier. But no other vampire is setting foot on this ship as long as I'm here.”

 

Raynor considered him for a long moment, assessing. “You can't blame them all for what a few rogues did,” he said evenly. He took another swig and realized the bottle was now empty and cursed under his breath. “I know what they did, Matt. They took your family. The Confederates took mine. I still worked with them when Mengsk turned on us. YOU worked with them even though you hated them. I'm asking you now, as your friend, to let this go. They're useful. So let's use them.”

 

Horner was silent for a long time, and Raynor almost, almost gave up hope that his friend had really listened to him. Finally he spoke, and his words carried no heat but a lot of concern. “Fine. If ordered to deal with them, I will. But it's on your head if they run amok and start killing people. I'm not going to take responsibility for that.” He glanced at his commander for a moment, his friend, and then handed him another bottle from the bar behind them. “Just how sure are you that she can control them?”

 

“Do you have any idea how old she really is, Matt?” Raynor was stalling for time. It really wasn't his place to tell about her, but he couldn't keep it from Horner if it meant calming his fears somewhat. “The older the vampire, the more control they have over younger ones.”

 

“Granted, that's part of what they taught us when they first came out into the open. But she can't be old enough to control a whole troop. A ship crew like she had, maybe. That's only a few, ten at the most. You're talking about a small army here.” Horner was incredulous. He knew they aged slowly, but that they did age. She couldn't be old enough to do what Raynor was claiming. Could she?

 

“She's more than a thousand years old, Matt.” Raynor took another long, long pull at his bottle. This, he needed to be drunk to think about. He was screwing a woman who was to all intents and purposes immortal. And he'd cheated on Sarah with her. Yeah, he needed to be drinking. “She's got more than enough power to control ALL of them if she wanted to. She just chooses not to use that influence unless she has to.”

 

“You're saying she's the oldest vampire in the sector.” Horner couldn't credit that. “That she's so powerful the others will ALL follow her if she demands it. If that's the case -” His voice dropped and he leaned in conspiratorially. “If that's the case, why didn't you ask her to help you with Mengsk? To help you get Sarah back? To stop all this madness?”

 

“I didn't ask for her help with Mengsk because she wasn't available. And you really thought I could ask one woman to help me retrieve another? If you've got balls that big, Matt, you should be running this outfit and not me. As for stopping the madness... why do you think there are vampire troops being trained and fed into the grinder? Because she convinced them we were people and not just food. Because she asked them to do it. And because she knows they can take a hell of a lot more physical abuse than we mere humans could ever hope to. She's hoping they'll be enough to turn the tide and help us win this thing.”

 

“They're fighting FOR the Dominion!” Horner reared back, outrage pouring from him. “Not for us!”

 

“Are they? How many Dominion missions have gone south, especially if we were involved? How many times have we outfought them and left only the vampire troops, retreating into the distance? Wake up, Matt. They've been helping all along. They're the fifth column.”

 

The fifth column. The group that worked with the outside forces to bring change from within, whether overt or clandestine. The ones who risked everything, including their lives, to help those they felt were in the right. They'd been labeled as subversive, as traitors, and no one even knew who they were. They were as much outlaws as Raynor's Raiders. Matt felt incredibly stupid for the space of several seconds. “They're good,” he finally admitted. “I had no idea. The next question is, then: How do we convince your Ellie to have them come out of the woodwork and help us?”

 

“I need to talk to her. And I'd better do it alone.” Yeah, he should. If she'd been infested... she'd want him to fix it. And he knew only one sure fire way to do that.

 

He checked his gun when he was on his feet. Yeah, it was full. But he really didn't want to have to use it.

 

“Be careful.” Matt's words were even, but there was an underlying note of concern. For all they'd argued, Raynor was still his friend.

 

“I'm always careful when dealing with her, okay? Quit mothering me.” But the jibe was tempered with a small smile. And he walked out of the Cantina, headed for the lab.

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AU, folks...
> 
> Many thanks to my beloved hive sisters...

Four

 

Raynor was still thinking hard as he made is way toward the lab. If the Zerg had really intended to attack that facility, then something was very wrong. The Queen of Blades – he could no longer think of her as Sarah Kerrigan, her humanity was long gone – controlled the Swarm. If they were attacking science labs, then she had to be coordinating it. Or something else was interfering with her control of her people.

 

It was something he should have considered before, but the crazy way things had been had left him off balance and confused. Now that he had a few minutes to consider, it seemed really wrong. Had she lost control of the Swarm? Because the alternative was completely unthinkable.

 

The alternative was that she'd lost herself in the power once more. And that would be tragic.

 

Another thought occurred to him and he snorted at his whimsy. He seemed to have a thing for powerful women. Kerrigan controlled the billions that made up the Zerg Swarm... and Ellie could control thousands of vampires. How did he get himself into these things?

 

Pain slammed into him and he stumbled, nearly falling to his knees under the force of it. But it wasn't his, it was all in his mind, and he forced himself to his feet and found the strength to move a little faster.

 

Ellie. Ellie was broadcasting it, which meant there was a LOT of it, more than she could handle. He burst into the lab, ready to do battle if necessary, only to find her writhing on one of the medbeds and Stetmann watching her in horror. “What's going on?” he demanded as he got closer. “Ellie! Ellie, look at me!” He had to stop the broadcast or everyone on the ship was going to be affected.

 

It was only getting to him so far, and that was confusing for a moment. He shoved the thought back down and tried again to reach her. He wasn't a telepath, had no psi to speak of... but maybe if he thought loud enough she'd hear it. _Ellie! Ellie, I'm here! Let me help you!_

 

She screamed again and flopped back onto the bed, going still. _Jimmy?_

 

She'd heard him. Relief flooded through him. _Easy, darlin. What's wrong?_

 

She opened her eyes, slowly, as though the light hurt them. “I don't know,” she murmured. “It just hurts. Make it stop!” She arched upward again, but her jaw clenched and she kept the scream inside this time.

 

He didn't feel her pain any more. That meant she was back in control, but at what cost? He drew Stetmann aside. “What's wrong with her?”

 

“She's infested.” Stetmann was horrified. He knew what that meant; it was most likely a death sentence. “I've tried a few things, but they haven't worked. I can slow it down, but I can't stop it.”

 

Raynor took her hand for a moment. He was well aware she could crush it, but he thought she was enough in control now not to. “Easy, darlin,” he repeated. “I'll get you some help. I won't let this kill you.”

 

“If you can't – can't stop it – Jimmy, you do it. Don't let me become one of those things.” Her voice was faint but he could feel her sincerity.

 

He nodded once. He'd do as she asked, of course. Right now, though, the process was fairly slow and they could watch her. He wasn't going to let anything happen to her.

 

He had an idea, but it might not work. Still, he'd try. If he could get hold of Sarah maybe she could help.

 

But would she?

 

 


	5. Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moving along...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Very AU. 
> 
> My hive is wonderful! I love you ladies so much!

Five

 

All his calls went unanswered. Kerrigan wasn't responding on any frequency they tried, and if the Zerg had been poised to hit Dynar Four, then she should have been close enough to hear them.

 

“Where the hell is she?” he growled. The only other option was the Xel'naga Artifact and that was lost to them. The Protoss had taken it back under the pretext that it was important to their culture.

 

The Protoss. Maybe he could talk to them. They were still at war with the Zerg, regardless of how harmless Kerrigan had made them. The Protoss wanted to wipe them out completely because they thought it was the only way to control them.

 

He sent out a broad call, multiple frequencies, asking any Protoss in the area to contact him. As he did again with the Zerg, trying to find Kerrigan. But it was the Protoss who answered first.

 

“Greetings, Jim Raynor,” the familiar voice sounded. Raynor allowed a small smile.

 

“Artanis.” Raynor was encouraged. The Hierarch was also his friend, and that might help him with this request. “I need a favor.”

 

“As always, you have only to ask.” Artanis watched him carefully through the screen. “What is it you require?”

 

“I need access to the Artifact.” If anything would make the Protoss refuse, that would be it. “There's a woman on board who's infested and I want to help her.”

 

“I respect your desire to help her, but it almost killed your Kerrigan when it tore the Zerg from her. Are you certain it won't have the same effect on this human? She could die in the process.”

 

“She'll die anyway if we don't try.” Raynor was marginally encouraged. He hadn't been denied outright yet. “And she's not exactly human, either. Vampire.”

 

“I am not familiar with this term.” Artanis turned to the side, communicating with one of his officers. When he turned back, he seemed to be upset, though his face showed no expression in the fashion of his race. “You wish to HELP this person? One who hunts humans for food, who preys upon your kind? What madness is this?”

 

“She's not your normal vampire.” That was certainly true. “Just trust me on this. She needs help.”

 

Artanis shook his head. “I cannot guarantee that it will have the same effect. Her readings are not quite human, yes? She would be at extreme risk.”

 

“Kerrigan knew she could die when it went off the first time. And Ellie knows the risks, too. She'd rather die than become one of them.” Raynor was almost grinding his teeth. He had to find help for her. He wasn't going to have to kill her.

 

“I will come aboard and we can discuss this, if that is satisfactory,” Artanis said quietly and Raynor blinked.

 

“Yeah, sure,” he responded quickly. How the hell was Matt gonna take THAT? “Can you warp in here or will you use a shuttle?”

 

Artanis indicated that he would shuttle over, forsaking their warp tech in deference to the humans and broke the contact and Raynor huffed out a breath. How the hell was he going to explain THIS one?

 

The commlink buzzed and he answered it absently. Stetmann's voice came through, sounding worried. “Sir, this is... you need to come down here. These readings... they're wrong. They're not Zerg DNA. It's something else, something I've never seen before.”

 

“I'll be right down.” Raynor went to meet his friend in the shuttle bay. “This might be a false alarm, Artanis,” he said evenly as he greeted the Protoss. “My scientist is saying now that it isn't a Zerg infestation. I'd still like your opinion. We've never seen it before, but that doesn't mean you haven't. I'd like you to have a look.”

 

“I would be honored to see your friend, Jim Raynor,” Artanis said with a slight bow. “But I should have one of our researchers come as well. They might perceive something I would not.”

 

“Let's have a look first.” Raynor took him to the lab, avoiding the curious gazes of those who'd never seen a Protoss before and the glares of those who'd heard about their destruction of colony worlds in an attempt to contain the Zerg.

 

He went straight to her bed when they entered, taking her hand in his. She was still wracked with pain, though she'd stopped broadcasting it. “I'm here, darlin,” he said quietly. “This is Artanis. He's here to help.”

 

Ellie caught his eye and held it. _I can't speak. It takes too much concentration and right now, if I don't concentrate, it'll win. There's a presence in here, another mind. If I think, you can hear me... but I can't take the time to form words. Whatever it is, it's trying to destroy MY mind and take over._

 

“Do what you need to, Ellie.” He turned to Artanis, who had one hand raised toward them in a signal to wait.

 

“I hear her, Raynor,” he said softly. “I have heard of such things, but never expected to encounter them. They are a forbidden part of our past.” He turned to Stetmann. “This infection, it is not Zerg. Is it inorganic?”

 

“If you mean metal, plastics, things of that nature, then yes.” The scientist regarded the Protoss with some trepidation. “And if we don't stop it her body functions, such as they are, will shut down. They're replicating faster than I can stop them.”

 

“Give me a moment with her.” Artanis' words were soft again as he regarded the woman. He could stop this; but it would take much of his energy and there was no guarantee she would survive. Stetmann nodded and left.

 

“I'm stayin.” Raynor wouldn't leave her. She was his friend, a lot more than a friend, and he wasn't about to just hand her over to Artanis no matter how good a friend HE was. He kept hold of her hand. And it didn't occur to him right then how illogical the thought was; he'd brought Artanis here to help her and now he was resisting that help.

 

_He needs you to go, Jim. He's not sure about this. And he's not sure there won't be some backlash into the lab. He doesn't want to hurt you trying to help me. It's all right._ There was a note of acceptance in her “voice.” _I don't want you hurt, either. It's all right._

 

Raynor stood, knowing she was right, but he didn't have to like it. “I'll be right outside, Ellie,” he said softly. He brushed a kiss across her forehead, smoothed her hair back, and left.

 

She could “hear” him outside the door, his thoughts a jumble of concern, anger, and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on. Then it all faded when the Protoss put his hands to her face. “Forgive me,” he said softly and she steeled herself. This was going to hurt.

 

Raynor heard the screams, both with his ears and his mind, and he had to fight not to simply dash back in and make them stop. Artanis was helping her. He had to hold to that. The Protoss was helping her.

 

All sound suddenly ceased and he slid down the wall to sit, drained and concerned but not having the strength to move. Her distress had somehow affected him; he felt like he'd been turned inside out and put through the wringer after. Maybe he hadn't been far enough away.

 

_Jim?_ It was weak, but it was her. _Your friend needs help. He's very weak. But he says he's fixed what was wrong, as much as he can. He'll tell you the rest. I need to sleep. So very tired now._

 

Raynor somehow found the energy to get up. “Stetmann. Help me. We need to get Artanis back to his ship.” He opened the door and found the Protoss leaning on the side of the bed, looking much the worse for wear. “Hang in there, pal,” he said quietly as he slid an arm under the much taller being's shoulder for support. Stetmann took the other side and they got him into the hall, but he could go no further.

 

“I have... called... for assistance,” Artanis explained with great difficulty. “Unless you wish... to accompany me... you should stand away.”

 

Both men dropped his arms and backed away quickly as the warp field formed around the alien. Then he was gone back to his ship. The comm beeped at them and Raynor hit the button without looking at it. “Yeah.”

 

“Transmission from the Protoss ship, sir,” Horner said quietly. “Hierarch Artanis has arrived and is safe. They will send someone for the shuttle once they're certain he'll recover.”

 

“Give them my compliments then, and have them tell him thanks.” Raynor closed the connection and went into the lab. She was sleeping, the lines of her face smoothed out in peace, and he sat next to her. He took her hand in his but remained silent, letting her rest. “I'm here, darlin. I'm not going anywhere.”

 

 


	6. Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AU are my two favorite letters...

SIX

 

It took hours for Artanis to recover enough to fill them in and during that time, Raynor never left Ellie's side.

 

Apparently, the infection was some form of nanobot, designed to infiltrate and subvert organic systems. The Protoss had forbidden their use long, long ago, and had thought all the samples had been destroyed. Obviously they hadn't. The question was, how did the Dominion researchers get hold of them?

 

“We will discover if they were taken from our facilities, and if so, by whom,” the Hierarch said patiently, though there was anger underneath. “Unfortunately, the devices were left behind. I was unable to remove them, only to render them inert. There is the possibility that whoever put them there could reactivate them.”

 

“Can they be removed?” Raynor was concerned and not just because she was his friend. If they were rebooted, they might be able to control her; and suddenly he understood why they had been introduced. Ellie was a telepath, but she was no Ghost. But a Ghost would have been able to read her easily without her even knowing it, and discovered that she had a relationship to the Raiders. It had been calculated precisely. Whoever had ordered it had known she would call for help, FROM HIM, and that he would answer. They had been hoping the subversion would be unstoppable by the time it was discovered and that they could use her against them.

 

“Even we do not possess the skill required for such a thing. It is one reason their use is forbidden.” Artanis sounded truly apologetic.

 

“Thanks, pal. I owe you one.” Raynor cut the connection and simply sat for a moment, considering.

 

The smart thing to do would be to cut her loose. She was an unknown at this point, a possible liability. But God help him, he couldn't do it. He couldn't turn his back on her.

 

“Thank you,” she said softly as she sat up. She gave him a knowing look. “You don't think very quietly. I “heard” every thought. Thank you for not giving up on me.”

 

Abruptly he was thrown into memory.

 

“ _We're getting out of here TONIGHT, darlin.”_

 

_Sarah was distant, her voice dripping with anger. “Good. Then we can go after Mengsk.”_

 

“ _Forget Mengsk. Forget all of it! This is about you and me.”_

 

“ _Until Mengsk is dead, there can't BE a you and me.” She had turned away then, as though unwilling to let him see her rage, her need for vengeance._

 

“ _I moved heaven and earth to bring you back, Sarah.” His hands hit the forcefield, staying in place though there was a little pain involved. It was designed for prisoners and had been adapted for her. “I can't watch you throw that away just for revenge!” The blast doors began to engage as he stepped backward, listening to a voice announce the second phase of the test. “I never gave up on you, Sarah. Don't you give up on us!”_

 

She felt the switch in his mood and sat back a little. He was thinking of Sarah again and she'd respect that. She knew that Kerrigan had briefly been human again, and had thrown it all away to become the Queen of Blades once more. They could never be together; she was mostly Zerg. And she had left him standing alone while she left with her Swarm, there on the ruins of Mengsk's palace.

 

But he still loved her.

 

For a moment, Ellie was jealous and then it was under control again. She'd never let him know how she felt. It was hopeless. Sure, they had sex; but that was all it was. A little stress relief for the both of them. And as a telepath, she knew exactly who he was thinking of during the act.

 

It was probably a good thing he WASN'T a telepath, or he'd know exactly what was going through HER mind during.

 

No, she would keep quiet. She'd never have all of him, so she'd be content with what she DID have. His friendship, his trust, his loyalty. Those would have to be enough.

 

He opened his mouth to speak but the comm-unit chose then to chirp. Raynor answered it absently.

 

“The Protoss shuttle has been warped out, sir, and we've got a line on some action. Dominion troops are trying to put down an uprising on Tyrador Six.”

 

“Well, we can't have that. Get us there yesterday, Matt.” Raynor raised an eyebrow at her. “Ready for a good straight up fight, darlin?”

 

“I'm always ready for a fight, Jimmy.”

 

*

 

Three hours later they dropped out of warp into the middle of a firefight between Dominion ships and what looked to be a small fleet of independents. “Get them some cover!” Raynor barked as he watched on his suit's viewscreen. “Alpha team, ready for drop.”

 

Ellie would co-pilot for him; the dropship was designed for two, though he could handle it well enough if he had to.

 

The other teams sounded off and they were given clearance. The drop was short and brutal; they meant to be on the surface fast. These people were, for the most part, civilians and needed help. It was obvious that they had no real leadership. They were shooting blind and wild.

 

He got his troops moving and they headed into the city proper, looking for Dominion troops. Find them, you find the rebels, he reasoned. He wasn't expecting them to be waiting for his people.

 

Gunfire erupted around them and his people went to work, returning fire, taking cover, and just in general raising hell. “Ambush!” he roared as he drew a bead on one Dominion soldier only to have a bullet whir past his helmet. “Take em out!”

 

Ellie guided her team in from the other side of town. “They're all over the place!” she growled as she opened fire on the enemy. A small group of civilians were trying to hide nearby and she clomped over to them, the battlesuit making her movements clunky and awkward. “We're here to help,” she announced as she approached the one who seemed to be the de facto leader. “What's the sitch?”

 

“Light em up!” the man yelled and suddenly they were under fire once more, concentrated and powerful.

 

Ellie tried to get her people out, falling back into the city proper. “Got Dominion here too, boss!” she snarled as she dropped the leader and crouched next to a burned out building.

 

“Fall back to the dropships!” Raynor barked as he laid down cover fire for his team. “Matt, get us out of here as soon as we're aboard!”

 

“We're taking heavy fire up here too, sir,” Horner replied. They could hear the damage reports, muffled but still bad. Hull breaches, casualties. Raynor closed his eyes for a moment and then stiffened his spine. Those were his people being slaughtered. “Shuttle bay is damaged. Dig in, we'll extract as soon as humanly possible.”

 

“Negative. Get out of here, Matt. We'll meet at the rendezvous we agreed on.” He opened the comm to the general channel. “We're on our own, folks,” he growled. “Try to make the dropships. If you get separated, keep going. You've got one hour. After that, you'll end up in a Dominion prison or worse. One hour. ANYONE not at the rendezvous gets left. That includes me. Now sound off, acknowledge the order.”

 

To a one, each responded affirmatively. Ellie did as well, but she wasn't leaving without Jim and she knew what was in his mind even without her telepathy. He was going to cover their retreat. Oh, he didn't intend to miss the boat; but if he did, he wasn't going to cry over it. Even faced with execution if he was caught, he was going to protect his people.

 

Well, she'd just protect him. Unless he ordered her away; she knew how to obey orders. Of course, nothing said she had to hear those orders.

 

_I know what you're thinking, Ellie, and stop it._ It was getting easier and easier to mindspeak with her and for a moment, he was concerned. Then he drew himself back to the business at hand. _I need you to make sure they get to safety. We've already got wounded on the way to the transports. For once in your life, don't argue, okay?_

 

_Damn you, Jim. You know I won't argue, not with that logic._ He'd chosen the one course she wouldn't disobey. _But if you get yourself killed, I'll bring you back so I can kill you myself._

 

_Just get them out._ He broke the contact quickly when he sighted more Dominion soldiers nearby. His own troops wore blue armor, while the Dominion sported red. It made things easier to distinguish friend from foe. He darted from cover, headed for another spot, but they saw him and he cursed. He dodged quickly, diving under another outcropping and then rising to spray the area with heavy fire. He was gratified to see the Dominion boys taking cover; but a heavy, ground rattling stomp warned him and he dove to the side, barely avoiding the foot of the Goliath as it came down where he'd been.

 

He tapped into their frequency, hoping to get some idea of who had betrayed them. This whole fiasco had been a trap, and a damn clever one. Matt ALWAYS checked their contracts so carefully that he probably analyzed the very ink on the page, trying to avoid just this sort of situation. Someone had to have ratted them out.

 

“I've got Raynor in my sights,” the Goliath driver was saying as he brought his weapons to bear on the Raider Commander.

 

“Bring him in alive,” was the reply.

 

_All aboard and dusted off,_ Ellie sounded in his head. He had a sudden certainty that she had still disobeyed him. _I didn't. We're on our way to safety. But I'm not leaving you here. I'll be back for you._

 

_Don't._ One word, full of command. _I'm caught under fire now, and they're not going to stop till they take me down. Get them to the rendezvous and then listen to Matt. He knows what to do._ Raynor was listening carefully to the Dominion commander, placing his rifle carefully on the ground and stepping back, going to his knees with his hands behind his head. His battlesuit wasn't up to stopping anything that Goliath threw, so for the moment, he'd behave. Sort of.

 

Both hands snapped forward, tossing cylindrical objects toward the Goliath and he rolled to the side, grabbing his rifle as he went. The grenades had the desired effect; one of the machine's legs was blown off and it went down, systems crippled from where the other had landed on its processing unit near the cockpit. Then he was up and running again.

 

Bullets flew around him but he kept going. Finally he outdistanced them and gave thanks for sheer, dumb luck. He'd almost lost it this time.

 

He took cover in a burned out building, keeping silent and still as troops passed him by. He could hole up here indefinitely, he thought. As long as his suit's reserves held out, anyway. He could breathe the atmosphere, so he didn't need the oxy tanks... and there was enough suit food and water to hold him for several days. He'd just have to find a ship to steal and get away.

 

So thinking, he hunkered down to wait. The first hot pursuit would die out soon when they didn't find him right away. Then he would be able to scope out the landing field and see what he could come up with.

 

*

 

Ellie stormed onto the Bridge of the _Hyperion_ , fury stark on her face and her green eyes flashing. “We have to go back,” she demanded.

 

“I have my orders,” Horner returned without facing her. He was hunched over the star map, obviously trying to choose their next jump. “If he can, he'll meet us at another rendezvous.”

 

“And what if he can't?” Ellie couldn't credit that his friend would leave him like this, orders or not.

 

“Then we go on. We keep going, keep fighting.” Horner picked a spot seemingly at random and started barking orders to engage the drives. “Warp jump on my mark.”

 

Ellie grabbed a rail. “Mark!”

 

The jump was smooth, and when they emerged, Ellie recognized the star pattern. “We're in Zerg space?” Her voice was incredulous.

 

“Open a channel,” Horner ordered quietly. “This is _Hyperion_ calling the Queen of Blades. Please respond.”

 

Kerrigan's altered features filled the screen. “What do you want?” she demanded angrily. She had no use for Horner at all; he had left Jim behind to be captured the last time she had seen him.

 

“Tyrador Six,” Matt said simply. “Jim's in trouble. We need your help.”

 

Kerrigan's eyes narrowed. “I didn't answer his calls, why would you think I'd answer yours?”

 

Matt blinked. She didn't sound much like Sarah Kerrigan any more. Sarah would have moved heaven and earth to help Jim; now, she sounded like she could care less. “Because he risked everything for you. Even after you turned yourself back into that, he helped you. If he hadn't, Mengsk would have killed you.”

 

“That's true, I suppose.” Ellie listened carefully. She couldn't get a “read” on Kerrigan, though. The thought patterns were as alien as her appearance. “But this fight is too important. I have to stop Amon before it's too late.”

 

“Or maybe there just isn't enough human left in you to remember how he feels about you. To remember how YOU felt about HIM.” Matt was hitting below the belt and he knew it, but part of Raynor's backup plan depended on her. If she'd lost herself in the Queen of Blades again, Jim didn't have a chance.

 

“That's fighting dirty, Matt.” But there was a subtle shift in her face. “Fine. Tyrador Six?” A shadow of something crossed her face and Ellie thought it might have been fear, but it was quickly hidden. “And the Dominion is in full presence there?” She sounded thoughtful for a moment. “They will be easy prey for the Swarm. And I will control them as much as I can. But they will slaughter the Dominion troops. Do you honestly want that on your conscience?”

 

“You've killed billions, Kerrigan. A few more won't make that much difference.” Horner's voice was clipped and curt. It was taking all he had to stay civil. Only the fact that Raynor trusted her had brought him here. He hated her for what she'd done, and for renouncing her humanity for a second time, completely voluntarily. She'd willingly once more become the Zerg's Queen of Blades simply to get revenge on Mengsk and it pissed him off. Jim was his friend and to watch him agonize over this woman, give up EVERYTHING but his own life, and nearly that, to bring her back to humanity, to have her throw that away, it went against everything he believed in.

 

“Very well. Rendezvous there in six hours.” And she cut the connection.

 

Horner didn't turn to face Ellie but his words were still for her. “Were you able to pick up anything?”

 

“Smart man,” she replied as she stepped up beside him. “But I'm afraid not. Her thoughts – they're not human. I can't make sense of them. They actually kinda made me a little sick.” She shook her head. “I really hate being kept out of the loop. What's the plan?”

 

“We go in and get him back.”

 

“That's a plan? You've been hanging around Jim too long,” Ellie replied with a snort. “Will she do what she says?”

 

“We have to trust that she will. Otherwise, we're all dead.” Horner sighed heavily before turning toward her finally. “Come on. Six hours of sitting still is going to be wearing. I'll buy you a drink and you can tell me some stories.”

 

“The drink I'll take,” she laughed softly as she fell in step with him. “The stories? You'll have to talk to Jimmy about those.” A whisper of thought left her, searching for him, and she stopped suddenly when it found nothing. “I can't reach him,” she said softly. “Before, I could talk to him. Now I can't even find him. Something's wrong.”

 

 


	7. Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AU. 
> 
> My hive sisters rock for giving me strength to post this stuff! Thanks m'darlins!

SEVEN

 

Raynor growled softly and followed it with a muffled curse. The landing field was damn well guarded; he wasn't getting off this rock that way.

 

His troops were long gone, back to the _Hyperion_ and relative safety. Matt would have warped out as soon as it was clear, headed for Zerg space. They had discussed this plan the last time Jim had almost ended up in a cell; and as far as he knew, Sarah was still willing to play her part.

 

Doubt curled into his mind. She had ignored all his calls for help when Ellie needed it. Why? He knew she was after the dark creature Zeratul had warned them of, the one called Amon. The one who, according to the prophecy, would destroy the universe. IF Kerrigan didn't stop him.

 

He thought of Sarah and all the familiar pain settled around him. He loved her, he always would. But her choice had taken her away from him. Her choice to become the Queen of Blades in order to take the fight to this Amon, to fulfill the prophecy, had made certain they would never be together.

 

He couldn't understand it. And as much as she protested, it hadn't been a selfless decision, either. Yes, she'd done it to be able to take on the Hybrid Amon... but she'd used it to slaughter millions on Korhal, just to get close enough to kill Mengsk. And him? He'd helped her. He'd defended her, he'd saved her when Mengsk got the better of her. He'd saved her life again.

 

When she had rescued him from the _Moros,_ when he had seen what she had once more become, he had told her they were done. And he'd still gone on to help her, to save her. Even after everything she had done, everything she'd become, everyone she'd destroyed and killed... he would still give her anything she asked. He still loved her.

 

Something was going on at the field. He dropped the face shield on his helmet to study the sensors, but saw nothing of interest. No, wait. They were mobilizing. Troops were moving in waves to secure the perimeter and he cursed under his breath. If it had been difficult before, it would be downright impossible now to steal a ship.

 

He turned his helmet radio up, hoping to get some insight. He'd had it on the Dominion band for some time, tracking their movements, staying one step ahead of them. But one word in the skipchatter made him sit up and take notice.

 

Zerg.

 

That meant one of two things. Either Matt had been successful and found Sarah, or The Queen of Blades was making another run on Dominion space. Either would be okay with him right now.

 

He couldn’t help but think of her as a split personality, really. Between the Sarah he knew and the Zerg she was now, they were totally different.

 

Enough woolgathering. He needed to be in a defensible position when the Zerg landed. If they were here for him, he'd be safe enough; but he hadn't stayed alive this long by taking chances. At least not stupid ones.

 

It had gotten pretty easy to mindspeak with Ellie, even if he WASN'T a telepath, so he reached out but there was nothing there. “What the hell?” He tried again, but it was like hitting a brick wall and was giving him a damn headache.

 

She'd be in a fine fit about now, he thought ruefully. If she couldn't contact him, she didn't know if he was alive. Hopefully they were back in communication range; but he didn’t dare try without giving away his position. He'd have to be somewhere fairly easily defended. While he had suit reserves, his ammunition was a little low.

 

He snuck out of his little hidey hole and made off across the street, taking cover in the shadows of burnt out buildings, wondering once again where the civilian population they had come to defend had gone. That this had been a trap was galling to him. They were always so careful about their contacts to avoid this shit.

 

A shout went up behind him and his comm crackled alive with orders to halt. He snarled. “I don't think so, kids.” He sprinted off to the side, taking cover once more. He'd have to play tag with them a while, it looked like, and suddenly he really hoped it was Sarah and not the Zerg who was about to attack.

 

Bad move. He'd ended up in the open; the only cover for several meters was the wall he was behind. He'd have to make a break for it and hope they didn't have armor piercing rounds.

 

Two deep breaths and he broke what little cover had remained, moving as fast as he could, trying to outdistance them. It didn't work. Grenades flew, and when one landed directly in his path he couldn't stop fast enough and stumbled in the crater. The suit servos couldn't correct his balance and he went on his face, rolling to try and rise, but too late. He heard the voices in his comm and went very still, no longer reaching for his weapon.

 

“Just stay still,” the sergeant demanded as they advanced cautiously. “You're under arrest, Raynor.”

 

Jim cursed his distinctive armor for only a moment. “Yeah, I know the drill.” He didn't move. He didn't even get to his knees. He just laid there. They'd have to get close to pick him up and he might be able to do a little more damage.

 

He wasn't stupid. They had him cold, but he wasn't going out without a fight. Then suddenly he rolled to the side, scrambling to his feet, moving out of the way fast.

 

Something was incoming and it wasn't Zerg. It was metallic. He scrambled backward again, grabbing his rifle on the way, and then just stopped and stared. He was out of range.

 

That twisting, glinting, gut-wrenchingly dangerous transformation told him exactly what it was. What had been an aircraft was now an armored assault vehicle. The Viking slid to a stop just in front of him, obviously in defensive mode. “Back off,” the pilot snarled at the Dominion troops. It had them outgunned and they knew it if they were smart.

 

Raynor's dropship came down behind him and he grinned. And then took off for the transport when the Dominion opened fire anyway.

 

The Viking covered his retreat and he thought he'd made it when something tore through his suit and into his side. He snarled in rage and pain but made it up the ramp which sealed behind him and collapsed onto one of the jump seats. “Go!”

 

The ship rose slowly, almost too slowly. If it hadn't been for the Viking's continued support, they'd have been sitting ducks for the anti aircraft batteries that had been activated.

 

Then came the Zerg.

 

Thousands of mutalisk attack fliers surrounded them, obviously escorting the transport and the Viking which had joined them in the air.

 

“Incoming transmission, patching through,” Ellie called from the cockpit. Of course she'd been the one to come after him. He grinned again. Then Kerrigan's voice sounded over the comm.

 

“This is becoming a habit, Jim,” she said quietly. “Can't you be more careful? One of these days I won't be able to help you.”

 

“You know you love it, darlin,” he replied painfully. He was trying to get out of the suit and having a little difficulty. There was a ragged tear in the metal, low on the left side, and some of the damaged material was embedded in his flesh. There was a lot of blood.

 

The medic started to help and he batted her hands away. “Give us a minute,” he growled and she retreated, going into the cockpit and closing the door. “What's going on with you, Sarah?” he asked quietly as he finally got the damaged piece loose and was able to get the armor off. He pressed one hand into his side, feeling the pain there but ignoring it and trying to stop the sluggish bleeding. It wasn't life threatening so it didn't matter. “You didn't answer when I called and that's not like you.”

 

“I was trying to find Amon.”

 

He let that simmer for a moment. She hadn't denied purposefully ignoring him, and that hurt. Her face shimmered into existence on the screen, finally, and he resisted the urge to touch the image. “Don't get so obsessed you forget what's important,” he said softly as he finally did touch the screen. “I miss you.”

 

Her face softened finally. “I miss you too. But it can't be, Jim, and you know it. There can't be an us. There's too much at stake.”

 

He closed his eyes against the pain in her voice. “There could be, darlin, if you'd just come back,” he said softly. He knew she'd refuse. She was too driven, too obsessed; but he couldn't stop loving her. He felt guilty about what had happened with Ellie; but he knew, too, that it had been her need that had sparked his. Still, he felt like he'd cheated. The only one he really wanted was Sarah; no matter how much he loved his friend, they'd never be more. “I said it before. I never gave up on you. Don't give up on us.”

 

Her clawed fingers met his on the screen, but her face was set and sad. “I have to. You know how this ends.”

 

“It doesn't have to end,” he argued angrily. “If you go into this with that attitude, Amon will kill you and then it's over for all of us.” But he dropped his hand from the screen, though he didn't turn away. “You're not alone in this fight, Sarah. You know that. You've got your Swarm, and you've got us. And the Protoss may hate you but they're in this, too. They want him dead just as much as we do. So don't start thinking you're gonna be some kind of martyr and die for this. I won't let you.”

 

She sighed heavily and dropped her own hand. Then something caught her attention and she turned away, and then back with a look of fear. “Oh no.”

 

Ellie's voice came from the cockpit as well. “You better hear this, boss, we got big trouble!” she called as she switched on the secondary cams.

 

“...reporting for UNN. Raynor's Raiders, the outlaw band commanded by terrorist Jim Raynor, had all but disappeared after the events surrounding Emperor Mengsk's death some time ago. Today, they made a dramatic reappearance in Dominion space. Emperor Golan had this to say.”

 

An image of the man's face appeared on the channel and Raynor growled, not so softly. Kerrigan was watching as well, her eyes narrowed.

 

“We have known for a long time that this man and his followers were dangerous, that they were terrorists. Repeatedly I have invited the man to sit down with me and address his concerns, to have done with this petty little 'revolution' he's been waging, to no avail. He has always refused. And now this.” He gave a nod and footage that undoubtedly came from Tyrador Six came on. In it, the Zerg were mowing through Dominion troops, sparing no one. The clip ended with a visual of his dropship leaving the planet escorted by Zerg fliers and Raynor dropped into the seat, his face buried in his hands. Golan continued, his voice implacable. “Jim Raynor is a traitor, a terrorist, and an enemy sympathizer. He has allied himself with the Zerg, of all things, in an attempt to bring down this Dominion. And we will not stand for it. Any information on the whereabouts or activities of this outlaw faction will be rewarded handsomely.”

 

The scene went back to the reporter but Raynor switched it off. “Well that's just great,” he growled as he sat up. “They must've had a reporter embedded in their group or something. And he just made us public enemy number one, even worse than Mengsk ever HOPED to do.” He snarled something under his breath and stood to pace, only to end up back on the seat with a dazed look on his face.

 

“Get yourself patched up, Jim,” Kerrigan said softly, but her voice grew in strength and menace. “You leave Golan to me.”

 

“Oh, no you don't, darlin,” he snapped as his fingers once more touched the screen. He wanted to touch HER, to try and get through to her. “Right now, that'll only make it worse. We might win the battle, but we'll lose the war. Let it go. I'll think of somethin. I always do.” He took a deep breath. “Go. Find Amon. Settle this. Then we'll talk.”

 

She watched him or a moment, her face expressionless, and then nodded. “I'll leave it to you, then. But if you can't fix it, I will.” She cut the connection.

 

The cockpit door opened and the medic came through, her face set and tight. “Let's get you fixed up, sir.”

 

“Thirty minutes to _Hyperion_ ,” Ellie reported as he let the girl spray disinfectant, bonder, sealer, and whatever else is was she did to stop the bleeding and close it up. He hadn't thought it was too bad, but her face said otherwise. “Captain Horner's compliments and he's waiting to speak to you.”

 

That way, was it? Ellie was pissed and that was her way of showing it without knocking him on his ass. Military courtesy wasn't normal for her, and he winced slightly. And Matt would have words for him, too, he was sure. Even the medic seemed to be angry.

 

He thought toward Ellie again but still got no result other than a headache. He'd have to get her alone and talk to her, then. After she had calmed down some, though. He had no interest whatsoever in getting tossed across the room.

 

He relaxed back against the seat and closed his eyes. This was going to be rough so he'd rest while he could.

 

 


	8. Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y'all are enjoying this thing!

Raynor wasn't prepared for his reception when he got off the dropship, though. Most of his people were gathered in the shuttle bay. A few were working on repairs; the ship was still seriously damaged. But most of those assembled were watching him.

 

He was starting to feel a little self conscious when Matt stepped forward and greeted him quietly. “Welcome home, sir.”

 

“Good to be back, Matt. All this for me?” Raynor was going to take the bull by the horns. If there was some doubt among his crew, he'd handle it now, not later. “You shouldn't have.”

 

“I didn't.” Matt wasn't smiling, but his eyes were. “They were a little worried about you.”

 

“Okay, show's over, back to work,” Raynor growled as he moved out of the bay, Matt on one side and Ellie on the other. “If they were worried, why the anger?” he asked reasonably.

 

“They're angry for you, not at you,” Ellie said quietly. “For all of us. Golan has us by the short hairs right now. That broadcast did a lot of damage.”

 

They kept together until they got to the Cantina and settled at one of the tables. They obtained a bottle and three glasses and Raynor took a good look at the label. “Good stuff, Matt. What are we celebrating? Because right now, it doesn't seem like there's much to get happy about.”

 

“So just drink.” Ellie suited actions to words and downed the first shot. “Because we've got some stuff to talk about, Jimmy, and it's gonna get ugly. Golan isn't the only problem.”

 

Matt poured his but set it down untouched. Raynor's glass was quickly empty as well but he made no move to refill it, which gave his friends a little cause for alarm. He had a reputation as a hard drinker, and they knew it was well earned; to see him abstain even momentarily was unsettling to say the least.

 

“Ellie couldn't find you while you were on planet,” Matt said quietly as he refilled the others' drinks. “She said she's never been unable to reach you before.”

 

“I couldn't get to you either, darlin,” Raynor replied just before reaching past his glass and grabbing the bottle. He took a long pull at it and the other two relaxed slightly. “Gave me a headache just trying.”

 

“She was listening in while I was talking to Kerrigan,” Matt explained patiently. “She not only couldn't 'hear' anything, right after, she tried to contact you and couldn't. She spent the next two hours trying, doing whatever it is telepaths do to communicate, and all she got was a headache and more frantic.”

 

“Stetmann look at her yet?” Raynor regarded his bottle and sighed, then decided to be civilized. He pulled the glass back and filled it.

 

“Yeah, he went over me with all his little gadgets, and he found nothing. But that doesn't surprise me. Vampire telepathy is different than normal human psionics.” She regarded him steadily as she poured her own refill. “It's acquired, not genetic. It works differently. And it tends to...” Her voice trailed off. He wasn't going to take this very well. “Once a vampire has fed from someone, they can usually contact them again at will. It's called a bond.” She could feel his mounting fury and steeled herself against it. “I can talk to people I haven't fed from but it's hard. And I've NEVER spied on what's in your head.” So many times she'd had to explain this, and it never got easier. “Most vampires use that bond to call when they need a quick feed. It's both more and less than just talking. It's... it's about hunger, mostly.”

 

“So when you said I was your friend, you were lying.” Raynor's hand hit the table with bruising force. “What, was I just a quick drink for you?” It hurt. It hurt more than he thought possible. It hurt almost as much as knowing he and Sarah would never be together.

 

“I've never lied to you.” Ellie's voice was soft but firm. “Whether you believe it or not, Jimmy, you're my friend. You always have been. I could have turned you a hundred times, but I didn't. I protected you, I fought for you. I saved you when I could and dealt vengeance when I couldn't. How many times have you escaped and then heard about death and destruction in the wake of it? That was me, Jimmy Raynor. Me and my crew. So if that isn't friendship, in my own twisted little way, I don't know what is.”

 

He believed her. He knew how passionate she was, and he knew it was hard for her to lie, no matter how long she had done it or how good she was at it. She wouldn't lie to him.

 

That said... “Then answer this,” he said slowly. His eyes caught Matt's across the table. “How did the Dominion know we'd be at Tyrador Six? They were waiting for us, Ellie.”

 

“I might have a theory,” Matt broke in smoothly. “The infection Artanis cleared. The circuitry stayed in place, right? What if it's not as inert as we thought? What if there's some way it's being used to track us?” He started ticking points off on his hands. “We went to Dynar Four on a distress call about an imminent Zerg attack, but encountered absolutely no resistance. And we find out that Ellie's been fed something to subvert her completely. Artanis might have been an unexpected bit of help on our part, who knows how fast they'd have found us if he hadn't been able to short them out. But what if they're still working somehow? That contract came in just before you called the Protoss. I wasn't able to check it as thoroughly as usual and that's on me, but we'll talk about that in a bit. If those things inside her are still active at all, then they could be tracking us right now.”

 

Ellie looked wretched and Raynor groaned before knocking back another drink. “That all makes sense, sure. But how do we fight it? I know you, Matt, the minute you thought there was a leak you had it plugged. You'll have everything leaving this ship scrambled sixteen ways to breakfast.”

 

“And I do. We're jamming EVERYTHING. Even our own transmissions. Right now we're flying blind. It's a good thing we're in semi-friendly space.” Matt kept his eyes on Jim.

 

“Artanis was able to stop the spread of these things. And he said they were designed by his people.” Raynor was idly twirling his glass in his fingers and Ellie leaned forward, elbows on the table, her face hard.

 

“He might have a solution,” she said quietly. “And what I want to know, right now, is what broke our bond? It was fine when I left you on the ground. You were bitching at me to follow orders, just like always. And then you went silent and I figured you had your hands full. So I did what you told me. Matt talked to Kerrigan and suddenly I couldn't hear you any more. It was like you were just – just gone.”

 

“It stopped after you talked to Kerrigan.” Raynor was considering things very carefully. “Maybe something about trying to link to the Zerg mind damaged your telepathy. Can you talk to anyone else?” He knew from her own words that it would be harder for her to do; she hadn't fed from anyone here, he thought. Or if she had, she'd been discreet. But if she could, it was another clue to what might be happening.

 

“Matt? It might hurt, to start with, and I won't try without your permission.” Ellie was watching him closely. She meant what she said. Telepathy was an intrusion into someone's mind and she'd never go there without permission.

 

“Go ahead and try.” Horner was finding he respected her a great deal more than before. She certainly had thrown the vampire stereotype in a cocked hat for him. She had honor, integrity, and a wicked sense of humor. Some of the things they'd talked about while they waited, once he'd gotten her calmed down a bit, had been funny as hell and it wasn't just the drink talking, since he hadn't had more than a glass. He knew his business as captain of this ship.

 

Ellie let a thin tendril of thought flow toward him. _Can you hear me?_

 

_I can hear you._ Matt's head felt a bit larger than before but it didn't hurt, really. _Dial it down some, please, you're too loud._ It had been something she said while they were waiting, that sometimes it was hard to judge how much volume she put into her “voice.”

 

Ellie grinned at him. “Yeah, I know. It'll settle down some, I promise. But now that I have your 'signature' I can talk to you if I need to. And I give you my word right now, same as I gave Jim. I will NEVER trespass in there without permission. Talking is one thing. I don't pry and never will.”

 

“Thank you.” He didn't question it. She'd given her word and that was enough.

 

Raynor watched the two of them as he took another drink. “Okay, so it's me you can't talk to.” He frowned slightly. “That's a pretty specific block. Ah, hell, I don't understand how all that crap works as it is. But we need to find out what caused it.”

 

Ellie reached out to Raynor again. _Jimmy, please tell me you can hear me. I know you're there, I can see you, please, just be able to answer._

 

_I'm here, darlin._ Raynor gave a small smile at her expression of relief; he felt it himself. “So now we know that whatever it was, wasn't permanent. But what caused it?”

 

“Something about Kerrigan, I'd guess. I couldn't talk to you after I listened in on her and Matt.” She shrugged. “Ugh. I am beat right down to my socks. You're a hard man to keep up with, Jim.” She indicated the nearly empty bottle. She and Matt had been drinking, too, but he'd consumed the lion's share. “I need sleep.”

 

“Go get some,” Raynor said quietly. “We'll need to figure out what to do next but it'll wait till we've all had some rack time. Matt, you too.” He was going to drink himself blind and pass out. Seeing Sarah again, talking to her, arguing with her, it had taken more out of him than he'd realized. He needed rest and the only way he was going to get it was to have a little self prescribed anesthetic first.

 

“Where am I bunking, Cap'n?” Ellie asked quietly. “Jim, get out of here and sleep. You look wrecked. And you need rest to heal that up.” She made a vague gesture at his side.

 

Matt considered for a moment as Raynor nodded and left. He didn't want her on the barracks level; she was an officer and beyond that she deserved a little privacy. “There's an empty cabin on my level,” he said slowly. He was putting her fairly close to him, he realized, but he was coming to understand that she would cause no harm here. He trusted her. Whatever had happened wasn't her fault. She hadn't asked to be fed those nanobots, had resisted it.

 

She intrigued him. She was so different than he had expected, and she hadn't balked at anything they'd demanded of her. Indeed, she'd been an unexpected asset. “Come on, I'll show you where.”

 

She rose and fell in step with him and they walked in companionable silence. Both were tired; but he was rarely this comfortable with anyone. It threw him off a little. “Here.” He palmed open the door and gave her a “you first” gesture. “It's private,” he said quietly. “Necessary's in there, shower, whatever you need. Spare clothes in the footlocker, they should fit. You're about normal sized.” He checked his wayward tongue; he must be more tired than he thought. He didn't usually babble.

 

Ellie nodded and sagged a bit. She had done a lot in the past two days; and her feeding from Jim hadn't been enough. It had taken the edge off, but if she'd taken enough to really stop the Hunger she'd have killed him. She needed to find someone willing to feed her, and she wouldn't ask Matt. She understood his feelings about her kind. Jim had explained it to her years ago and she wouldn't ask him to override his principles that way.

 

Matt watched her for a moment. He'd known she fed from Raynor; it had been one of the reasons they'd been locked in his quarters for a while. She'd been badly hurt, and she'd needed the blood to heal. But she looked different now than she had before, weariness was a part of it but there was more. “You need to eat something,” he said gently. “I know you can handle regular food. But that's not it, is it?”

 

She wouldn't look at him. “Yes, I can eat real food. And no, that's not what I need right now. It won't help me nearly as much.” Close, he was so close, she could hear his heartbeat and suddenly it was a struggle not to simply fall on him and take what she needed. “But I won't feed from anyone who isn't willing. Not my style.” She gave a small, sad smile. “I'm a monster, but I do have some scruples.”

 

He turned her to face him then, his expression held carefully blank, but his eyes spoke volumes. He was afraid, but he was trying to hide it. “You're not a monster,” he said softly. One hand strayed upward to rest lightly against her cheek. “You won't hurt me. So do this before I change my mind.”

 

“I promised no mind tricks, Matt, but if I don't use a few little ones, it WILL hurt,” she murmured back. “If you're serious, I can at least make it pleasant.”

 

“Just get on with it.” He didn't resist when she drew him further into the room and took his wrist, bringing it upward and placing a soft kiss on the pulse point.

 

“It'll bond us, just like it bonded me with Jim. I'll be able to talk to you whenever I need, and you'll be able to talk to me.” She felt him shiver slightly and let her fangs drop, registering the change in his pulse rate, knowing he was afraid and letting just a hint of her nature loose. She didn't want to hurt him but she didn't want to completely thrall him, either. Just enough to blunt the pain. Then she let her fangs pierce the skin and drank deeply, though not enough to damage him. Then she swiped her tongue over the puncture mark and let go, though she didn't step back.

 

“That wasn't so bad,” he said shakily. Abruptly he pulled himself back to focus and stepped back. “Get some rest, Lieutenant.”

 

Ellie stared at the space where he'd stood only a moment before, confused and a little sad, though she wasn't sure why. Then she let herself collapse on the bed and thought of nothing else the rest of the night.

 

*

 

Horner stalked back to his own cabin, his mind a jumble. He had to get hold of this.

 

What had he been thinking? Vampires had taken his parents. The monsters hadn't even fed from them; they'd just slaughtered them for the fun of it and left the pieces for him to find on one of his sneaky trips home. He was a rebel, after all, and Tyrador IX was in Dominion space. If he'd been caught, he'd have been arrested at the least. Instead, he'd had to leave in a hurry and arrange for them to be found and properly laid to rest.

 

And he had let her feed from him. He had told her she wasn't a monster. He had touched her face, and God help him, he'd wanted to kiss her. And he was certain that was all him, not anything she did. She'd been so damned honorable so far, keeping her word when she gave it, helping them in their cause, helping them to fix what had gone wrong. Helping him get Jim back from certain death just because Raynor was her friend. She owed Matt no loyalty at all and yet was willing to help him, to call him friend.

 

She was funny, and charming, and pretty with all that dark hair. She was a good soldier, she followed orders, she was damn deadly in a firefight from all accounts he'd heard from the surface. She was a capable pilot.

 

And she was a damn vampire.

 

She didn't fit with his concept of them. She wasn't a monster.

 

Oh, he had no doubt she could be if the situation warranted. So could any good soldier. No, it was her damned humanity that troubled him, and that made no sense. He should hate her and he couldn't.

 

He groaned as he got ready to sleep. He'd wanted to kiss her. Yes, she was pretty, but she was also involved with his best friend. She'd made no secret of her affection for Raynor, and yet – and yet, she hadn't given any sign that they were truly lovers. And EVERYONE knew how he felt about Sarah Kerrigan. No, Jim wouldn't cheat, and even if he had, it wouldn't happen again. He and Ellie weren't lovers.

 

He growled as he rolled over and punched his pillow. He needed to stop this or he wasn't going to rest at all. And even if she WAS free, he wasn't. He was married. It didn't matter that he loathed his wife, that he hadn't wanted a wife in the first place. Somehow or another he'd managed to win one in a poker game at Dead Man's Port and ended up with Mira Han, of all people.

 

Mira. Another rather large problem. What was he to do about her? He didn't want a wife. And he CERTAINLY didn't want her. Mira Han was a mercenary of the highest order, thinking of nothing and no one but the next payday. She'd even refused to negotiate with him while Raynor was incarcerated and that had cost them. Not as dearly as it could have, since he'd just gone on the attack; the stakes were too high to play her games. But it had made an already difficult situation nearly impossible.

 

He could divorce her, he supposed. IF his marriage was binding in the first place. The whole bloody incident was a blur; he'd been a lot younger, a lot stupider, and a lot drunk.

 

But to find out, he'd have to start digging, and that would get her attention. She'd been irritating him for a long time, trying to contact him, teasing him in her own strange little way, but he wanted nothing to do with her. And digging would inevitably show his position and he'd be in for another spate of unwelcome advances.

 

He couldn't and wouldn't ask anyone to be “the other woman.” It wasn't right. It wasn't honorable. It wasn't ethical. But it was damned tempting. Surely in her long, long life, Ellie'd been in that position at least once. NO. No, not happening. He'd have to find a way to get rid of Mira without sacrificing either her usefulness (which was admittedly a big deal) or just killing her outright. And of course he couldn't do that. Unethical as well as just plain wrong. Murder wasn't an option, even though some days she drove him to consider the possibility quite fondly.

 

They weren't even in the same star system and she was driving him insane.

 

Finally he gave up on sleep for the moment and went to sit in front of his console. He knew a lot about Lieutenant Elena Malova already. Now he'd find out the rest. Sighing, he pulled up the file. It wouldn't be her Dominion service record... wait. They had a master programmer on board. He'd see if Stiles could get the file and download it to his desk. And in the meantime he HAD to sleep.

 

With all the alcohol already in his system, he should have been face down already. So, another belt and he'd be off in dreamland... he hoped.

 

It took three.

 

He contacted Stiles and knocked back the first one while he waited for the man to answer. A second one once he'd explained what he wanted and was being told why it couldn't be done. Finally he just sat the glass down and glared at the comm screen. “I need that file, Mr. Stiles. I don't care how you do it. Just get it for me.” He cut the contact and rose, headed for his bed, one last glass of rotgut in his hand.

 

He sat down on the side of it, tossed the drink back, and then cursed his own stupidity. He'd have a hell of a hangover tomorrow. But his last thought, as he slid downward into unconsciousness, was that he was at least going to rest.

 


	9. Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to the hive!

NINE

 

The sound of emergency klaxons and the shudder of metal under stress woke Raynor a few short hours later. He pitched out of his rack, only half voluntarily, and dove for his armor before remembering it was in Swann's hands for repair. So he grabbed his rifle and his pistol and stormed out the door, demanding answers on the way. “Matt, status report!” he barked as he headed for the Bridge.

 

“Under attack by Dominion forces,” was the terse reply. There was the sound of ripping metal in the background and he winced. “Warp drives are damaged. It'll take thirty minutes to be able to jump.”

 

Thirty minutes. In thirty minutes, they'd be dead. The ship wasn't going to hold up to such a pounding much longer. Had Golan sent the entire Dominion fleet after them this time? And how they HELL had he known to find them in Zerg space??? “Time for a new plan,” he growled as he switched the channel. “Ellie, huddle up.” His request for a 'private' conversation. Amazing how quickly he'd adapted to his link with her. _We need to buy some time or we're all dead. Got any friends nearby?_

 

_Not a one, Jimmy, but I think I can handle the diversion._ She showed him what she had in mind and he hesitated. He didn't like to be suspicious of her, but at this point, he didn't trust ANYONE. Not even Matt.

 

_No, you stay here. But you just gave ME an idea. Be right back._ He cut the contact and headed for Swann's domain. He didn't make it. _I'm cut off from the lower decks, Ellie. Need you to go to Rory Swann, tell him to launch those droneships he's been working on. See if we can draw some attention with the decoys._

 

_Okay boss._ Ellie did as ordered, making her cautious way across a couple of sections where there was little or no gravity left. She had to take a pretty roundabout route; the ship was in pieces and getting worse by the minute. _No go. I can't get there either._

 

That was bad. Raynor had tried the comm and gotten no answer. The armory was in one of the worst hit areas. _You suited up?_

 

_Racked and tacked, boss. Tell me what to do._

 

Raynor hit the shipwide band. “Anyone near the Armory get in and report,” he barked. Swann was a friend, as much as Horner or Ellie. _Want you to -_

 

“All hands, brace for warp.” It hadn't been thirty minutes yet and Matt was calling for the jump. It was going to be ugly. Raynor grabbed the nearest solid object, as did anyone else with sense. It wasn't going to be smooth or normal by a long shot. “Warp jump on my mark.” Three seconds. “Mark!”

 

And the world turned inside out.

 

An unplanned, uncoordinated, blind warp jump was risky for any number of reasons. Not the least of which was not really knowing where you'd end up. It also caused more damage to the ship. And when everyone picked themselves up afterward, shaking off the effects, they got a good glimpse of Zerus.

 

The birthplace of the Primal Zerg.

 

Repairs here would be nearly impossible. There were no sources for materials, parts, or other necessary devices. Zerg used organic material, not fabricated. And no matter the relationship between Raynor and Kerrigan, there was no guarantee the Zerg wouldn't pick up where the Dominion had left off.

 

To say they were in trouble was a massive understatement.

 

Reports began coming on from all decks, lists of damage and casualties and Raynor closed his eyes as the numbers began to climb. How had they been found?

 

It had to be Ellie. It had to be. She was the only difference in his crew, the only wild card. Oh, he didn't think she was doing any of it intentionally; he knew her far too well for that. But those nanobots, nanites, circuits, whatever it was that Artanis had supposedly deactivated – those could very well still be working. The problem would be figuring out how to render them harmless without killing her.

 

He heard Swann's voice on the comm and breathed a sigh of relief. If anyone could get them going again in this God-forsaken wasteland, it would be him. The engineer simply excelled at making broken stuff work with little or no material to work with.

 

_Ellie. We need to talk, darlin. Where are you?_ He wanted to do it in private, because he knew what was going to happen. She'd be furious at being used in such a way.

 

_Helping Swann. This place is a shambles._ He heard the shrug in her words. _Some of the damage shifted during the jump and I was able to get through. Barely. Had to lose the armor to squeeze into that hole. Almost didn't make it before the bulkhead doors dropped._

 

_Good thing you don't have to breathe, then. Reports say oxygen levels are about half down there. You guys okay?_ He was headed down as well. If she could find a way through, he would. _And why didn't you just break in? You could, and I know it._

 

_Because it's bad enough down here. Didn't want to make a bad sitch worse._

 

He got to the bulkhead just outside the Armory and glared at it, but it was shut tight. Apparently there had been a hull breach and the pressure was still equalizing after the doors slammed down. Nothing he did would open it. And according to the readings, it would be several hours yet before the safety interlocks would release. He opened the comm. “Swann!”

 

“Right here, Cowboy,” was the gruff response. His voice was muffled, probably by the oxy tanks he'd have to be using. “Lost a few mechanicals but no people, at least not in here. We're scanning the damage now.”

 

“Get me a report soon as you can, then. Ellie, help him out. Status report in an hour.” He closed the comm and headed for the Bridge. Hopefully he'd have a little better luck reaching it. _We'll talk later, Ellie._ He caught a flash of acceptance from her and moved on.

 

The damage he was seeing tore at him. His flagship was a mess, broken badly but hopefully not beyond repair. People were already working to clear the rubble and assess the situation, but it was looking pretty grim. Finally he came to the Bridge.

 

Matt was at the star map, obviously trying to find a new destination. “How bad is it?” Raynor asked quietly as he approached. A look around confirmed some of his fears; conduits hung down in spots, bare wires, baffles had broken and the place was a shambles. “Ouch.”

 

“Good way to put it, sir.” Horner didn't look up and Raynor felt a chill. “At the moment, we're dead in the water and blind as a bat. Sensors are only about half functional. Life support is spotty in most areas. The drives are damaged and will take time to repair.” He looked up then and Raynor's unease deepened. “We can't take another firefight, sir. If they find us again before we're repaired, we're done. She's barely holding together now. We need a drydock, and that's just not going to happen. Especially not out here.”

 

Raynor slammed his fist down on the map table and then just hunched over it a minute. “They keep finding us. I know you've got everything coming off this ship monitored, blocked, jammed, scrambled, and probably a few things there aren't even words for yet. How the hell do they keep finding us?”

 

“I know you trust her, sir.” Horner's words were soft. “But it's been a non stop fight since we brought her on board.” He hadn't seen her file yet, though Stiles had finally gotten him a copy of it. It had been waiting on his vidscreen when the attack began, flagged with a simple note saying “You owe me.” And until he had, he couldn't make an informed decision. It should be enough that Raynor trusted her, but it wasn't. Not any more. Not since they'd been basically running for their lives since she'd come aboard.

 

“If she's responsible, then we'll handle it.” Raynor's words were clipped. “It still might be something she can't control.”

 

“The nanobots.” Horner nodded as he returned his gaze to the map. He hoped that was the answer; he'd gotten a bit fond of her himself, though he was still wary of her. And he would be until he read that file. “I agree, I don't think it's a conscious decision on her part. I don't think she's got that kind of betrayal in her. But she's the common link to all these attacks.”

 

“And the Zerg never did hit Dynar Four.” Raynor had done a little checking there as well. “It was a false alarm.” Things were just adding up too damn well here. “They fed those things to her and then sent a distress call, knowing we'd answer. Just the way we do things, right?” He wanted to hit something besides the table. “Golan is a lot smarter than Mengsk. And this sounds right up his alley.”

 

“Talk to Kerrigan,” Horner said suddenly. “Find out if she meant to hit that station. If what she was after was gone, there would have been no point.” The words were ashes in his mouth.

 

Raynor simply nodded. It was the logical, rational thing to do; but he couldn't bring himself to do it. And he had to. “Do we still have comm capability?”

 

“Repair estimate is three hours.” Horner's voice was soft. “Internal comms are spotty at best.”

 

Raynor cursed again. “Then let's get to it.”

 


	10. Chapter 10

It took several days before the ship was stabilized. Ellie remained in the Armory with Swann and Kachinsky, doing a lot of grunt work. She wasn't an engineer; but she could and did offer brute force when needed and unskilled labor the rest of the time.

 

The atmosphere levels had finally stabilized and she was glad; understanding Swann's particular growl while he was in his pressure suit was difficult at best.

 

She finished stacking up the decking they'd salvaged and stretched, working the kinks out of her back. “What's next?” she asked quietly.

 

“Now we start fixing the mechanicals,” he replied as he handed her a wrench. “You know anything about how a siege tank works?”

 

“I know you can do a lot of damage with it if you push the right button, but other than that, no,” she said with a small laugh. “Not gonna be much help with that part, probably.”

 

“Okay. You've helped a lot. Go see what the cowboy wants you to do now.” He gave her a clap on the back and turned back to his machines.

 

She got out of the Armory and stood still for a moment. Something about her last contact with Jimmy was bothering her, and she wanted a minute to think about it. She ducked into one of the empty bays and sat down against the wall. Surely a couple of minutes would make no difference, and she'd been working just as hard as everyone else.

 

There had been something in that last exchange with her friend that disturbed her. She'd carefully avoided linking with him since; both because of the sheer amount of work that needed done and because she wanted to examine it.

 

There had been distrust in his thoughts.

 

Suddenly comprehension flared. Her rescue, the debacle at Tyrador Six, the subsequent attack... something was drawing the Dominion to them. And if he didn't completely trust her, it meant it had something to do with her.

 

She growled low in her throat. In all her long life, she'd hated nothing more than being used. But how was she being tracked? Artanis had supposedly neutralized the circuitry. There had to be something else.

 

She stood and headed for the lab. The comms still weren't completely reliable; and communication with anything outside the ship was still impossible. They needed parts they hadn't been able to salvage yet. So she'd have to wait till she got there to talk to Stetmann. She needed him to figure out what was being used to track her. Otherwise she'd have to leave the ship. She'd put them in no more danger.

 

She ducked into Medical and stopped still, looking around in shock. The beds were full, and there were some injured on the floor. Somehow it had escaped her just how badly things had gone. “Stetmann!” she called as she made her way to the back. “First, how can I help, and second, I need you to find out whether or not these things are still fucking me up.”

 

“You want to help? Find me more doctors. I'm a scientist, not a medical doctor.” He caught her expression and sighed. “I've got the training, but I'm only one person. I can't do all this by myself.” He tapped a couple sequences into the terminal. “I've got some of the servos programmed to help me change bandages, monitor the worst injured... but I can't be everywhere at once.”

 

“Easy, kid.” Raynor's voice drifted over her shoulder and she stiffened before forcing herself to relax. “I brought you more help. They ain't nurses but they can at least change a bandage if they have to.” He gestured toward the small contingent of people who'd accompanied him.

 

She forced herself not to react as Raynor dropped a hand to her shoulder. Stetmann nodded. “Come through to the lab, then,” he said quietly. “They can shout if they need me. Most of what needs doing is just changing dressings, sealers, stimpacks... simple stuff. I was just overwhelmed. But let's see if we can figure out what those things are doing in there.”

 

Raynor followed and nearly collided with her back as she paused. She almost couldn't make herself step inside; the fear was huge. And that made no sense. She was a very old and powerful vampire – and this was just a science lab. And Stetmann wouldn't hurt her. But it still took all her will to cross the threshold.

 

What had been done to her on Dynar Four had apparently done more than just infect her with some Protoss technology. It had shaken her confidence and she was suddenly done with it. She raised her chin defiantly and went to the first scanner. Only sheer willpower kept her from running; but she wasn't about to be cowed any longer.

 

Stetmann set up the scan program and let it run over her, watching the readouts carefully. Raynor had said nothing to her, and that gave her a little more concern; but she dismissed it for the moment. If this went well, she'd be able to lay his concerns to rest quickly. If it didn't... then she might have to leave. She'd not be responsible for any more damages.

 

It sounded hypocritical, but it was how she felt. She was a soldier, she dealt death and destruction on a regular basis, but that was somehow different from when she did it as a vampire. As a soldier, it was necessary; as a vampire, she refused to do it any longer. She wouldn't kill to feed; she wouldn't turn anyone. Not ever. There were reasons it was called a curse.

 

Vampires had changed, of course, to adapt to the changing universe. Sunlight no longer bothered them, they could survive on regular food and drink, but not for long. Still they had to have blood to survive. But the Hunger, it was still a curse. It could steal sanity, turn the kindest of them into a monster with the slightest provocation. If allowed free rein, it could and did destroy. Friendships and families fell to its violence.

 

Regardless of any of it, she wouldn't cause more harm to her friends. If Stetmann found anything even remotely threatening in those circuits, she'd be gone until she could neutralize them. Or she'd step out an airlock. She might not need to breathe, but the vacuum would make her explode.

 

Traditional vampire killing didn't even work any more. Short of separating her head from her body, there was very little that would grant her death. A stake wouldn't do it; that could be healed fairly quickly. Sunlight didn't do it; they'd adapted to survive. Being blown to bits? It'd do the job nicely. Nothing left to heal.

 

She stopped thinking at all, then. The scan wasn't painful, but it was exhausting. She'd need to feed, and soon. And that presented another problem.

 

She wouldn't feed from anyone new. Hell, there probably wasn't anyone healthy enough right now to feed FROM. And Jim and Matt... no. They didn't trust her, and she understood their reasoning. She couldn't bloody well ask them to do something so – intimate – when there was no trust. Just not her way.

 

“Okay, initial scan is complete. Just hang tight for a minute and let me do the analysis.” Stetmann disappeared into the office.

 

Raynor sat down next to the scanner with a sigh. “We need to talk, Ellie,” he said quietly.

 

“I know. I swear to you, Jim, I had no idea I might be a danger to you. I'd never have let you take me out of that shed if I'd known what they'd done to me.” Her voice was soft. That he was choosing to communicate verbally rather than through their link made her sad, but she understood it. Lord knew who or what was listening in.

 

“I want to believe you, Ellie, I do,” he replied as he took her hand. “But do the math. I'm responsible for these people and if they're in danger, I've got to protect them.” He didn't want to suspect her. He didn't want her to be responsible, knowingly or not. But he'd take the actions necessary if she was.

 

Stetmann came back out, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Those things are still there, of course,” he said slowly. “They don't seem to be active any longer. There's no progression of the infection, they're not still trying to take over your systems. But there's some kind of faint energy signature surrounding them. It's like nothing I've ever seen before, not even in the research tanks. It's not psionic, it's not electrical. It's just weird.”

 

“So it's not Protoss energy.” Raynor was thinking hard.

 

“Not Zerg, either. Like I said, it's something completely unknown. There's no record of this stuff anywhere. Nothing even similar.”

 

Ellie closed her eyes. Energy signature. That meant it was active again. She was leading the Dominion to them. She'd have to leave.

 

“Is there a way to neutralize it? Or jam it?” Raynor's thoughts were following the same lines. He didn't want to make her go; she was his friend, one of his BEST friends, and he didn't want to lose that. But as he had reminded her, he had a responsibility to his folks to keep them safe.

 

“I'm working on it. Might take a few more days. Wish the Protoss would share their data with me, it'd make this easier.” Stetmann was only half concentrating on his words, he was so engrossed in his findings.

 

Ellie sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “Might as well get this over with,” she said softly. “Give me a few minutes to say goodbye to Swann, please.”

 

“Where do you think you're going?” Raynor replied as he took hold of her arm. “Ellie, stay. At least a few days. Give him a chance to fix it.”

 

“If I stay, they'll find you again. And I've seen the condition this ship is in, Jimmy. We won't survive another attack. I have to go. He's got his readings, he can work from those. I'll stay in contact, if you want me to.” Suddenly she wasn't sure he would. He seemed genuinely upset; but there was still that thread of distrust and uneasiness and she wanted to cry. Then she was just mad. Whatever had been done to her had shattered the friendship they shared and she wanted to get even for it.

 

“Of course I want you in contact. Ellie, just because they're tracking you, doesn't mean I don't care. You're still my friend. More than my friend.” He pulled her close to hold her for a minute.

 

She relaxed into it, sighing. He wouldn't hold her like this if he was truly upset with her. “I've got to go. NOW. They might already be tracking me. So do me a favor and tell Matt goodbye for me, okay?” She drew back and brushed a kiss across his cheek. “I'll take one of the older fighters, one Swann hasn't had time to turn into a drone. And I'll see if I can get some supplies out this way for you guys. It's the least I can do.” She turned and headed for the door.

 

He didn't stop her. She was right, but he didn't have to like it. And if she was in a different area, then they'd be safe for a while, able to make repairs if they could get the materials. And the long range comm wasn't necessary; his link with her would let him check in with her regularly. _Be safe, darlin._

 

_Safe? Not in my vocabulary._ She let her “voice” laugh softly. Then she made her way back down to the Armory. “Hey, Rory!” she called as she entered. “Got a favor to ask. You got one of those old single seaters I can borrow for a while? Doesn't have to be fancy, just a gun or two I can use if I'm in trouble.”

 

“Got an old Wraith you can have.” He stomped over to her, his expression wary. “You leaving?”

 

“Got to.” She watched him for a minute. “Keep an eye on those two for me, okay? They need a keeper.”

 

Swann laughed. “We all do, sweetheart. Just take care of yourself and come back sometimes. You're welcome in my shop any time.” He took her to the bay and showed her which ship to take. “You take care out there.”

 

“Promise. And I'll try to get some supplies for you. You're gonna need help fixing this tub up.” She knew that would get a rise out of him. He loved this ship.

 

He raised his claw hand at her mockingly and then turned away, going back to the repairs.

 

But she didn't get off the ship fast enough. She was denied clearance to launch and grumbled, but she knew what was coming. She exited the little craft as Matt stormed into the bay. “Where do you think you're going?” he demanded as he got close enough to grab her arm.

 

“Saving your ass,” she retorted as she easily pulled free. “I can't be here, Matt. And you and Jimmy both know it. Dominion ships have found you everywhere we've gone since you guys picked me up. Not hard to figure out how.”

 

“I get that. But leaving without even a goodbye?” His voice got soft again and he touched her arm, but didn't hold her this time. Something had happened between them, that night he'd let her feed from him. He might never have acted on it, but there was something there. And after seeing her file, after talking to Jim about her, learning as much as he could... he wanted her to stay. He knew why she had to leave. But he hated the thought of her being gone.

 

_It's not goodbye, Matt. I'm never more than a shout away._ She held his gaze, her green eyes intense. _It's just safer for me to be far away right now. The Dominion could already be on the way and Kerrigan isn't answering calls again. We might not have a lot of protection. If they find this ship again, it's over. I won't be the cause of that. Once we figure out how to stop the broadcast, the track, whatever it is they're doing, I'll come back. I promise._

 

He said nothing, simply watching her face with an intensity that made her uneasy. Then he pulled her close and kissed her deeply, tuning out the cheers and catcalls from the crew in the bay. “I'll hold you to that promise,” he said softly as he let her go.

 

He helped her back into the cockpit, one hand lingering a bit longer than necessary on her ankle, and then stepped back. The alarms sounded and the crew moved to safe distances. The Wraith departed swiftly and he went to the nearest viewport, watching until it disappeared into warp.

 


	11. Eleven

ELEVEN

 

Several days later, Raynor was in the Cantina when the klaxons went off again. “Battle stations!” Matt thundered from the comms. “Multiple warp signatures detected, incoming. Commander Raynor to the Bridge.”

 

He went. Matt didn't call battle stations without cause, and if there were multiple warps coming in... that meant Dominion ships. “What's the sitch?” he demanded as he entered. He had to force his feet to keep moving when he saw the screens.

 

There were heavy cruisers everywhere. Surrounded wasn't a strong enough word. But they wouldn't go down without a fight.

 

“Incoming transmission,” the comm tech explained as the viewer popped up. Both men stared at it in shock.

 

“Stand down, _Hyperion._ I only want to talk.”

 

Raynor glanced at Horner, who stared back. Then they both turned back to the viewer. “Well, well, well. Welcome to Zerus, Junior,” Raynor drawled.

 

Valerian Mengsk, Crown Prince of the Dominion, heir to Arcturus' treachery and currently staying far, far away from the seat of power on Korhal. Too many of his father's 'loyal' subjects wanted HIM to pay for what Arcturus had done. “It is... good to see you again. I actually come bearing gifts. May I come aboard? We need to talk.”

 

Raynor regarded Horner for a moment. “Yeah, sure. We'll meet you in the bay.” He moved toward the door. “Better to have him here; they might not shoot so much if he's in the way.” Oh, sure. Arcturus had fired on them with his own son aboard, and these folks he didn't know at all. But it was a good gamble. “Stay here, keep an eye on things. First sign of trouble, you know the drill.”

 

Horner nodded. Something was nibbling around the edges of his conscious mind; how had they been found this time? Ellie was gone. They couldn't have been tracked through her.

 

As if his thoughts had summoned her, she was in his mind. _Matt? What's wrong?_

 

_Valerian just showed up. With a small armada. We're in the shit, Ellie, if he decides we're a threat._

 

 _He won't._ There was a little tolerant good humor in her thought. _He's been looking for you guys for a while. He wants to help you. He wants to take back what's his. He doesn't like what Golan's doing._

 

Matt blinked. _How are you so sure it's not a trick? Ellie!_

 

_Because you can't lie to a telepath, Matt. I can feel the emotion behind a thought. It's like total honesty, and it's one reason Ghosts have to be so heavily conditioned. White lies are more of a blessing than you know. Total honesty can drive one insane very quickly. For instance... you're not really thinking it but I can feel you wondering if that honesty works both ways._

 

Matt startled slightly. He wasn't quite sure he liked this mindspeaking thing at all.

 

 _Relax. I'll never, NEVER intrude without your permission. You were thinking of me, that's all. Tends to pull at the link a little. You'll learn how to control it if you want to. I can teach you._ There was a little sadness there he didn't understand but he wouldn't ask. _And yes, it works both ways. I can't lie to you in a thought, either. I wouldn't even if I could._ _Now go deal with Valerian. If you want me, just reach. I'll listen for you. For all he wasn't lying when he said he wanted to help you, I don't trust him._

 

 _I'll be in touch, Ellie. And... thanks._ He cut the contact, as much as he knew how, and returned his attention to his maps and screens.

 

*

 

Raynor watched as the shuttle touched down and waited, not so patiently, for Junior to exit the craft. How had he found them? This far into Zerg space, he had to have had help.

 

Ellie. But why would she have told him?

 

He watched Valerian carefully as he had several cargo containers offloaded as well. What the hell was going on? He'd said gifts, but this was just plain weird.

 

He was consciously not calling Ellie to ask. He wanted to see what Junior had to say, first.

 

Wait. Those were supply crates. Food, water... spare parts... what the hell?

 

Valerian extended his hand and Raynor took it without thinking. For all the kid had made him a little crazy, for all he'd been experimenting on Sarah while she was human, he was still an okay guy. Sort of. He'd at least tried to help them before.

 

“I thought you could use a little help,” he said simply and Raynor nodded.

 

“Gotta admit, Junior, when you dropped out of warp we thought it was all over. This tub's in sad shape.” He was still paying close attention. Something here was out of kilter and he was used to listening to his guts.

 

“That's what your friend Elena said. She was quite concerned that you would be unable to find the necessary supplies out here.” Valerian looked around as he fell in step with Raynor and they headed for the Bridge. “I'd have to agree.”

 

“Okay, cut the crap.” Raynor stopped dead, turning to the other man and watching him closely. “You want something. You wouldn't have come looking for us otherwise, you've been too busy hiding from Golan. So talk. I'm listening.”

 

Valerian gave a small smile. “She said you would be difficult to convince. Very well.” He considered for a moment. “I intend to reclaim what is mine. My father may have been a despot, but I am not. And I will no longer stand by and allow Golan to treat MY people the way he has.” He gave a low growl. “As for the people wanting my head on a plate – I think they would welcome me, now. Golan has run roughshod over them quite long enough.”

 

“Okay, what about us? Folks ain't gonna be too happy you've recruited a Zerg-lover to your camp.” It had to be addressed. Golan's broadcast had hit them hard. The few contacts they'd made, trying to get supplies, had been completely rebuffed and not nicely. They were no longer welcome even in Dead Man's Port, a completely lawless den of mercs, thieves, and worse.

 

“I suppose, in definition, that the term is accurate,” Valerian replied thoughtfully. “However, in truth, no. And I've made sure that those who follow ME are aware of what happened. Kerrigan still has human feelings. She could hardly be expected to allow you to die. And you could hardly be expected to refuse such a helpful hand. It was expedient, nothing more.”

 

“You've done your homework.” Valerian had known since Umoja just how deep the feelings ran between Raynor and Kerrigan. Raynor had risked everything including his very life to get her out; and he'd ended up in a Dominion prison cell because of it. “Okay, next question. What's in it for us?” He had to ask. Some of his people had been out here without wages for a long time. They were low on everything, from food to hope. He had to have something to tell them. They would follow him no matter what; they had been loyal to a fault since Char. He owed them everything.

 

“Full pardons for all revolutionary actions undertaken against my father. Postings as desired among the armed forces or choice of civilian employments. In short, all will be forgiven, and your help will be handsomely rewarded.” Valerian watched him from under his lashes.

 

“Sounds too good to be true.” Which meant it probably was. However, right now he couldn't afford to be picky. They needed repairs and if the Dominion came at them again, they would need the extra protection. “Gimme a little time to think about it.”

 

“Take all the time you wish. Just remember that the longer you wait, the more difficult it will be to accomplish our goals. And once the Dominion has been brought back under my control, you'll be free to help Kerrigan with Amon.”

 

That doused Raynor in figurative ice water. How had Valerian known about the prophecy? Yes, it all sounded too good to be true and he wanted to talk to Matt. And then to Ellie. Things just weren't adding up here. Had Ellie told him about that, too? He groaned inwardly. Of course Junior knew. He'd been working with Sarah since the Artifact, until she once more became the Queen of Blades. He knew about the prophecy. It wasn't Ellie's fault.

 

He needed to get a grip. He was seeing betrayal everywhere, and he hated suspecting her. She would no more turn on him than Matt would. Both were loyal to a fault, both were the closest thing to family he'd ever have. He had to get hold of this paranoia. “Yeah, okay. But it'll take as long as it takes, Junior.” He showed Valerian onto the Bridge and caught the unmistakable expression that meant Matt was “talking” to Ellie. Concentration, consternation, and complete and total confusion. Yep. Ellie.

 

“Looks like the cavalry's showed up,” he said evenly as he caught Matt's attention. “Junior's brought us some supplies, courtesy of our mutual friend.”

 

Horner gave Raynor a speculative glance but had no way to ask him if Valerian knew Ellie was a telepath. He'd play that close to the vest for a bit. “I'll have to remember to thank her when I see her,” he said evenly. “So what's the catch?”

 

“I've explained everything to your commander,” Valerian replied quietly. “There is no catch, as such. Just as you need my help right now, I need yours. It's as simple as that. And you will be well rewarded.”

 

Raynor and Horner traded glances over Mengsk's head. This would have to be discussed in private.

 

 


End file.
